Love Golf And Whisky? I Visited The Perfect Island Retreat That Delivers On Both

When the opportunity arose to visit probably the most remote location in Golf Monthly’s Top 100 UK & Ireland golf courses, I very much jumped at it. The location itself is The Machrie, situated on the Hebridean island of Islay.

Undoubtedly you would’ve recognised the name of the island for its whisky-rich heritage, more on that later, but the course itself is growing in stature and worldwide acclaim after its upgrade by Tour pro DJ Russell. Having seen images of the course before attending, I was very much looking forward to the experience…

Golf on Islay dates back to Willie Campbell’s original Machrie Links in 1891, but as mentioned, after Russell’s ‘few tweaks’ turned into a wholesale upgrade, the course took on a whole new meaning.

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It now presents itself as a masterpiece in this writer’s opinion, working its way over a rumpled and yet natural-feeling landscape, delivering stunning views out to the Atlantic and the beach which is a stones throw away on much of the front-nine.

The reasonable handshake opener gives you an indication of what’s to come as you crest a hill for your second shot where you immediately get a view out to the sea. The par-5 2nd continues this journey as it wedges itself between river and beach, and then from here onwards the front-nine elevates itself to unforgettable levels.

The 5th in particular starts a run of five holes that are as fun a stretch as I can remember, and this was despite the driving wind and rain I played in over two days. The 5th is a long-ish par 4 which starts with a deceptive tee shot.

One large bunker sits in your eye-line but find the fairway and your 2nd shot is stunning. Played over rolling, downhill terrain, you have to navigate a gigantic dune on the right hand side, and two menacing little bunkers on the left. The green is undulating and a real test as well, so I took my par and moved on very quickly.

All playing along the coast, the 6th, 7th and 8th holes are three very fun short par 4s all of which offer the chance to make birdies with their risk-reward nature, but high scores can easily be made if you end up in the wrong spots. The cavernous swale leading up to the 8th hole in particular is somewhere to avoid.

A suitable end to the front nine, from an elevated tee and playing towards the sea, the par-3 9th green nestles among the sandy dune scrapes with the beach and views of the distant mountains in the background.

The back nine moves further inland as it threads through the sandy hills with the dogleg par-5 12th hole and par-3 14th in particular being my favourites. At the latter, I hit pitching wedge on the first day and 4-iron the second, giving you an indication of the wind strength and the directional pot luck you may be faced with.

The best way I can describe The Machrie is it is a rollercoaster and real voyage of discovery. The purists will enjoy the blind and semi-blind shots, while I think it is also playable for different levels, provided you pick the right tees.

It is simply a magnificent place to play, and thought-provoking too, with several strategic choices to be made as you make your way round.

Romantically, I think the course also gives you the opportunity to simply appreciate where you are and the majesty of it. Having lived in a city for many years now, this trip and golf course reminded me just how appealing this kind of landscape is to experience.

To scratch your golfing itch further, there is a fine short game area, superb six-hole Wee course, three putting greens and the new ‘Hebrides’ social course, which is the ideal fun place to putt with a beer in your hand. All in all, The Machrie is one excellent golf facility worth the trek to Islay alone even without the allure of the many distilleries.

Off-course excellence

Not only did the golf course get a major redevelopment, but the hotel did as well, turning it into an excellent 43-room facility. Featuring a variety of rooms, suites and family lodges, they are comfortably furnished and all of them feature views of the golf course, the peat plains, the Mull of Oa or the Atlantic Ocean.

The hotel itself has a wide range of facilities as well including an outside sauna and hot tub garden, a very cool screening room which was showing World Cup football during my stay, an art collection and a games room.

You can even borrow a Land Rover Discovery to explore the island. Finally, there is an outstanding restaurant, the 18 Restaurant & Bar, which is brimming with fresh island produce and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Of course, fresh seafood features heavily, with my personal favorite meal being the fillet of hake and crab risotto, along with pomme Anna, a delightful potato dish with truffle and Parmesan. The scallops were also sublime and I got to experience Haggis for the first time as well. I must say I did enjoy it with bacon and sausages.

The whisky lovers among you will know all about the island of Islay already, but for the uninitiated, Islay is home to 10 well-known distilleries.

I was lucky enough to do a Tour of the Bruichladdich distillery, which was very interesting indeed given I knew nothing about the process or history of the drink – testament to our tour guide Ruby, whose enthusiasm was infectious.

The three tastings at the end certainly helped as well, with the Port Charlotte in particular speaking to me nicely.

How to get there

Daily flights to Islay from Glasgow with Loganair take 25 minutes. You can also take the ferry from Kennacraig on Kintyre into either Port Ellen in the south or Port Askaig further north, from where you can also get a short ferry crossing to Jura. Islay airport is a five-minute drive from The Machrie.